Games and Rings
  • A Blog for Olympic Sports Fans

Ten Top Summer Sports Not In The Olympics

8/17/2022

 

Which Sports Events Should Be in the Summer Olympic Games?

There's been lots of talk recently in Olympic circles regarding the sports program for Los Angeles 2028 and beyond. Between existing Olympic sports boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon facing potential expulsion, if you will, and the invitation from LA28 to other select sports for consideration, there's been plenty to ponder.

​That LA28 invitation went to nine governing bodies: breaking (which is set for Paris 2024 inclusion), baseball & softball and karate (both of which were unfortunately dropped after Tokyo 2020), squash, flag football, lacrosse, cricket, kickboxing, and motorsports.
Picture
Will multiple PSA squash champions Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini ever see an Olympics? (PSAWorldTour)
​The latter of that list - motorsports is a possible watershed moment on the Olympic program, as it was only in 2012 that the IOC removed from its charter reference to not including any sports where motorization was a key element. 

Flag football would seem a stretch to this rather traditionalist, but there has been world championship events since 2002, and a way for 'American football' to receive a foothold into the Games. But I never thought I'd see breaking in the Games, either. We'll see what develops after these nine sports make their cases later this month. Current guidelines call for an overall athlete cap of 10,500 plus a global youth appeal, limited operation complexity, and sustainable environmental impact.

I know, not every sport can (or should) be in the Games. But in the meantime, though, below are my thoughts on the top ten sports or sport disciplines that I'd like to see make it into a Summer Olympic program. Or at least brought back as a demonstration sport!

What do you think should be in the Games? Let me know in the comments.

And check out my thoughts on recommended new Winter Olympic sports, too.

Read More

Ten Top Winter Sports Not In The Olympics

12/8/2021

 

Let's Get Some More Fresh Events Into the Winter Games

This past July, the International Olympic Committee added ski mountaineering to the Winter Games program for Milano Cortina 2026. It's the first full sport addition to the Winter Olympics since Salt Lake City 2002, when skeleton reappeared, last seen at St. Moritz 1948.

That's in stark comparison to the Summer Games, which has seen relatively greater fluctuation in its program - Tokyo 2020 saw baseball & softball, karate, 3x3 basketball, surfing, sport climbing, and skateboarding all join the program, at least for that one edition. What's more, Beijing 2022 will feature only 109 medal events, compared to 339 at Tokyo 2020 during a same 12-day window.

Granted, it has traditionally been tougher to expand the winter program, as host sites have tended to be smaller in size; winter ski resort destinations like St. Moritz or Lake Placid. But Salt Lake City 2002, Vancouver 2010, Beijing 2022 and even Milano Cortina 2026 buck that old trend, and reports of larger candidates for 2030 - Salt Lake City again, Sapporo, or Barcelona, for example - show that hosts can be found to accommodate more athletes and venues.

That got me thinking...what are some other new sports or new disciplines of existing sports out there that could or should fit into a Winter Olympics? Let's take a look...

Bandy
Ice hockey is currently the only true team sport on the Winter Olympics (curling doesn't count as a team "ball" sport!). Bandy is similar to ice hockey but is played with eleven players each side (vs six in hockey) and a ball (vs a puck) on a larger rink. It's certainly global - twenty nations took part across the 2019 and 2020 men's world championships A and B divisions, including Russia, Sweden, Japan, China, the U.S., Great Britain...even Somalia and Mongolia.
Picture
Russia won over Sweden in the 2019 Winter Universiade bandy final
​Bandy did appear as a demonstration sport at Oslo 1952, but hasn't gotten serious conversation on a return since despite Federation of International Bandy interest. So what gives? Some think there's an unfortunate legacy of a grudge. Maybe some think there isn't room for another team sport. Maybe, with only eight teams in the most recent women's world championship, some feel there isn't enough gender parity. But it'd be a good addition, especially if and when the National Hockey League balks again at participation.

Read More

A Requiem for Baseball, Softball and Karate

8/7/2021

 

It's a Shame Some Sports Get Only One Shot...For Now?

As Tokyo 2020 winds down in its final weekend, I'm struck by the impact of the new Olympic sports. Debuts of karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing came, along with the return of baseball & softball. All of them offered intense and diverse competition.

Unfortunately, only some of these new sports are set to appear at Paris 2024. Karate, baseball & softball are saying goodbye to the Olympic program. Or, rather, are being told goodbye.
Picture
Team Japan celebrates a national goal with baseball gold in Tokyo
The background: in the interest of keeping a lid on the sporting largess of the Olympic Games schedule, the International Olympic Committee has capped the number of sports at each Summer Games. While some sports - track & field, swimming, basketball, gymnastics, etc. - make up the 'core sports', each host city has the opportunity to add an additional sport or two to their own Games. Hence, Tokyo 2020 added national favorites baseball/softball and karate, along with sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding.

But Paris 2024 has no interest in baseball/softball nor karate, so out they go after Tokyo, and in comes breaking(!) as a new sport.

Used to be, these 'one-off' sports were called demonstration sports. With that moniker, it was easily understood that a host was, well, demonstrating, a non-Olympic sport - Barcelona 1992 had basque pelota, for example - without any immediate implication that the sport, and its results, were 'officially Olympic'. But the IOC dropped the official 'demonstration' allowance after 1992.

Japan□□ has won #gold in #Softball at #Toyko2020

A rematch 1⃣3⃣ years in the making and Japan have retained their #Olympics #gold medal. #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/SgqCwfBFzm

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 27, 2021
But today, sports on the program are all 'official'. And, in deference to the Olympic movement's importance and heritage, the opportunity for these new sports' athletes to fulfill Olympic dreams is there and real.

It's awkward, though, isn't it? Listening to NBC's softball commentator Beth Mowins talk about Team USA's 13-year-long revenge goal in softball against Team Japan after the last title game at Beijing 2008 made me think...what about the next generation? Will the current stars of today's Games, or kids maybe inspired, have to wait that long - or longer - for another Olympic shot?

At Tokyo 2020, baseball & softball each featured the desired marquee gold medal matchups of Team Japan vs Team USA, after quality play from other teams like Dominican Republic and Israel (baseball), and  Australia and Mexico (softball). Both sports, linked together for Olympic bid efficiency, will actually probably have a good shot at returning to the Olympic stage for Los Angeles 2028...seven years away.

What about karate?
The show in Tokyo has been great. For the uninitiated, the kata discipline has been a revelation. And, the kumite discipline certainly fits right along as an Olympic combat sport alongside boxing, taekwondo, judo, and wrestling.

​
What's more, it's proven to be a global sport. 37 National Olympic Committees participated across eight events, with 20 earning at least one medal out the 32 available. That diversity matches taekwondo's, and outpaces in percentage judo's.

Wouldn't it feel right if new Olympic champions like France's Steven Da Costa, Bulgaria's Ivet Goranova, or Spain's Sandra Sanchez had the opportunity to defend their titles? Or if Turkey's Eray Samdan, Azerbaijan's Rafael Aghayev, or Egypt's Giana Farouk can move up to champion? Sure, there are world championships and World Games medals to conquer...but they seem a bit lesser now, no?

So here's a call...let's make the Games bigger. Open the umbrella to include more, deserving sports. Size of the Olympics' infrastructure and impact on a host is certainly a concern, but there may be solutions - reduce entries in other sports, or increase the competition window (the Tokyo Games already actually started before the Opening Ceremony)...or...something. It just isn't right pull an Olympic rug out from, well, Olympians.
Picture
France's Steven da Costa and Latvia's Kalvis Kalnins battle in kumite (New York Times)

Bring Back Demonstration Sports!

3/13/2021

 

Should An Old Way Showcase New Sports?

A number of sports will debut as Olympic sports across Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, a few strikingly more unconventional than those we're used to seeing at the Summer Games. While some newer sports have integrated well into the program in recent editions, the rapid change brings to question, why are sports not "demonstrated" first?

A Long History of Demonstration

Sports looking to win a coveted place on the Olympic sports program, and with it perceived precious validation as a sport that matters globally, used to have an opportunity at the Games as a 'demonstration sport', presented as a scheduled event but usually without official medals or records. Demonstration sports were first officially included alongside the main Olympic Games agenda at Stockholm 1912. Most Games editions through Barcelona 1992 had at least one demonstration sport.

While some Games chose events with particular local flavor (e.g. basque pelota at Barcelona 1992), the practice mostly served as sort of a testing ground for sports seeking official inclusion. Baseball was "demonstrated" five times before official inclusion in 1992 and for the next four editions. Taekwondo was demonstrated twice before its upgrade. Tennis, badminton, handball, volleyball, canoeing, and women's judo all were demonstration sports before their own inclusions in today's official summer program. On the winter side, curling, freestyle skiing, and short track speed skating all had their turn as demonstration sports.
Picture
Speed skiing was a demonstration sport at Albertville 1992
The idea of a sport being 'demonstrated' tested an event for TV and fan appeal, and whether or not the sport 'fit' into an Olympics setting, or maybe whether just whether it was safe or not. But since holding demonstration events usually meant adding equivalent operational expense as if they were official, the International Olympic Committee discontinued them.

Now, without a demonstration step, sports and event disciplines can become an official Olympic sport without any similar testing, or proof of appeal on an Olympic level. And combined with a new vision of "increasing its appeal to younger sports fans", this has meant new sports being seemingly suddenly added that may be jarring to Olympic purists.

Some changes have integrated well: beach volleyball (officially added at Atlanta 1996) and rugby sevens (Rio 2016) have been marked successes. Snowboarding (Nagano 1998) is a massive hit today, despite initial concern, proving any purists' hesitations wrong.

Read More
    Above: Athens' Kallimarmaro, the site of the 1896 Summer Olympics


    About This Blog

    An Olympics fan blog celebrating all things Olympic sport athletes

    Picture
    Read about me.

    Navigate It

    Celebrating Olympic sport athletes with news links, social media peeks, and more, seen through the cheeky lens of this particular, passionate fan.

    ​Check out:
     A Little Roundup
    Get caught up on the athletes of Olympic sports with a collection of links to recent news and feature stories

    Let's Get Social
    Taking a look at what some of your favorite Olympic sport athletes are up to on social media away from competition.

    They are the Champions
    Congratulations to the world champions of Olympic sports!

    Athletes Worth Watching
    Who are some emerging Olympic sport athletes worth keeping an eye on for the future?

    ​Ramblings and Things
    ​
    I have my own comment and opinions sometimes!

    A Quick Review
    Quick thoughts on Olympic sports-related films, art, books, TV, etc. that I've come across .
    p.s. see my Bookshop!

    Picture
    Me at Rio 2016's Barra Olympic Park


    Follow Me

    Twitter
    Instagram
    ​
    Spotify
    Medium
    ​
    Bookshop
    Post.
    Mastodon
    Tumblr

    Favorite Sites

    The IOC
    The Olympic Museum
    Olympic World Library
    ​Intl Olympic Academy
    ​Team USA
    World Athletics
    ​Athletics Integrity Unit
    WADA
    Court of Arbitration
    Around the Rings
    Inside the Games
    GamesBids.com
    The Sports Examiner
    ​AP Olympics
    ​AP Winter Olympics
    NBC Olympic Talk
    NY Times ​Olympics
    USA TODAY Olympics
    Wiki Summer Olympics
    Wiki Winter Olympics
    ​Athlete365
    ​
    Global Athlete
    ​Olympic Historians
    World Olympians Assoc.
    ​Games Architecture​
    Art of the Olympians
    Olympic.org Results
    ​Olympedia
    ​Olympstats
    ​
    Olympian Database
    ​On This Day in Sports
    ​Coubertin Speaks
    ​Olympic City Project
    ​
    Keep the Flame Alive
    Off The Podium
    The Games Odyssey
    ​Totallympics
    ​Qualifying to the Games
    ​Lost Olympians
    ​
    Olympians 1964 to 2020
    All Sports Books Reviews
    Outsports
    ​
    Queerstory Files
    ​Paris 2024
    ​Milan Cortina 2026
    Los Angeles 2028


    Categories

    All
    A Little Roundup
    Alpine Skiing
    Amsterdam 1928
    Ancient Olympics
    Aquatics
    Archery
    Artistic Swimming
    Athens 1896
    Athens 2004
    Athlete Spotlight
    Athlete Worth Watching
    Atlanta 1996
    Badminton
    Baseball
    Basketball
    Basketball 3x3
    Beach Volleyball
    Beijing 2008
    Beijing 2022
    Berlin 1936
    Biathlon
    Bobsled
    Boxing
    Breaking
    Canoe/Kayak
    Cross Country Skiing
    Curling
    Cycling
    Cycling BMX
    Cycling Mountain Bike
    Cycling Road
    Cycling Track
    Demonstration Sports
    Diving
    Equestrian
    Fencing
    Field Hockey
    Figure Skating
    Freestyle Skiing
    Golf
    Gymnastics
    Handball
    Helsinki 1952
    Ice Hockey
    Innsbruck 1976
    IOC
    Judo
    Karate
    Let's Get Social
    London 1908
    London 1948
    London 2012
    Los Angeles 1932
    Los Angeles 1984
    Los Angeles 2028
    Luge
    Melbourne 1956
    Mexico City 1968
    Milano Cortina 2026
    Modern Pentathlon
    Montreal 1976
    Moscow 1980
    Munich 1972
    Non-Olympic Sports
    Nordic Combined
    Olympics
    Olympic Sports Media
    On This Date
    Other
    Paralympics
    Paris 2024
    Pyeongchang 2018
    Rhythmic Gymnastics
    Rio 2016
    Rome 1960
    Rowing
    Rugby Sevens
    Sailing
    Salt Lake City 2002
    Sarajevo 1984
    Seoul 1988
    Shooting
    Short Track Speedskating
    Skateboarding
    Skeleton
    Ski Jumping
    Ski Mountaineering
    Snowboarding
    Soccer (football)
    Sochi 2014
    Softball
    Speed Skating
    Sport Climbing
    Squash
    Stockholm 1912
    Summer Olympics
    Surfing
    Swimming
    Sydney 2000
    Table Tennis
    Taekwondo
    Tennis
    They Are The Champions
    Tokyo 1964
    Tokyo 2020
    Track And Field
    Trampolining
    Triathlon
    Volleyball
    WADA
    Water Polo
    Weightlifting
    Winter Olympics
    Wrestling


    Archives

    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014


    To opt-out of cookies, and to read this site's privacy policy, read the Policy page.

    The following link is listed for Mastodon site verification purposes only:
    Mastodon

    RSS Feed


Proudly powered by Weebly